Ideate AutomationHow to...
  • Export to DWG

    • Export to DWG

    Ideate Automation can be used with Revit to export the sheets and/or views from your Revit model to DWG. Multiple Revit models can be processed in a single task.

    The preferred method uses a Dynamic Sheet/View List, adding the power of Ideate BIMLink to provide more support for complex tasks across a number of Revit project environments.

    There are three sample scripts that are supplied with the Sample Content. The differences between the sample scripts are as follows.

    Script Name Input Output Location
    AUT-Export_DWG Files List View/Sheet Name AUT-03 Publishing
    AUT-Export_DWG_Long Files List Model Name — View/Sheet Name AUT-03 Publishing
    IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic Dynamic Sheet/View List Dynamic — Views or Sheets ISW-01 Publishing - Dynamic

    Prior to running a task, review the DWG Export Settings in Revit. File → Export → DWG.

    Managing Export Settings in Revit

    The DWG Export Settings can be established in the Revit model prior to using Ideate Automation to export to DWG. If they are not, the default or last selected setting in Revit will be used. The following image shows what settings are defined in Revit and where Ideate Automation can control certain settings in a saved task.

    Select Export Setup

    Ideate Automation will use the <in-session export setup> as shown unless a specific named Export Setup is defined in the Task Script Variables. You can read more on this Autodesk Help page Modify DWG/DXF Export Setup.

    Export:

    The equivalent field in Export to PDF is called ž Selected views/sheets and it contains Print Sets that are shared across the Print and Export dialogs in the Revit model.

    Publish to DWG using a Dynamic Sheet/View List

    Revit sheet sets can be difficult to manage because they are not rule based. It’s easy to identify which sheets or views should be included in a DWG export process when there are only 10 sheets/views to pick from, but in the real world this is hard to manage.

    With Ideate Automation + BIMLink you can create a dynamic list of sheets or views based on built-in or custom Revit and Ideate BIMLink properties, and then use that list to define the list of sheets/views to be exported to DWG. Examples of the types of dynamic sheet/view sets you can create within BIMLink for use with Ideate Automation include:

    To publish all the sheets that are defined in a project as DWG files, follow the steps below.

    1. Launch Ideate Automation and select Create
    2. From the Ideate Software Scripts folder, select the folder called 01 Publishing — Dynamic, then pick the script at the right called IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic.
    3. Review the description of this task below, then pick Next.

    1. Set each of the required Task Script Variables for this task as follows:
      • Revit Files  — pick one or more Revit files. 
      • Export Folder — Pick a location to place the DWG files.
      • BIMLink Sheet List value, the default value of “Sheets” will import the sample link definition from BIMLink. To adjust the folder from which the link is imported, use the Additional Options as shown.

    1. On the Confirm Tasks Selection page, review all variables and note that the Task name is editable.
    2. Select Save and Run to complete the task.

    Your export results will include one DWG file for each of the views that are dynamically defined within the BIMLink Link definition called “Sheets”. As the project evolves the sheet list will dynamically grow or shrink per the BIMLink definition, which can be customized as needed. 

    Contact support if you need help customizing your scripts.

    Publish Revit Sheet/View Sets to DWG

    If you prefer to publish to DWG by using a pre-defined Revit sheet/view set, you can use the scripts found under Automation Scripts\03 Publishing\DWG. In these scripts, instead of using the Dynamic Sheet/View Lists, you can use your pre-defined sheet/view set name from your Revit project (or leave the value blank to use the saved default sheet/view set value).

    Desired File Name Revit Option Automation Script Variable Settings
    A102 default short name AUT-Export_DWG no change needed
    IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic
    rac_basic_sample_project-Sheet - A102 - Plans default long name AUT-Export_DWG-Long no change needed
    rac_basic_sample_project-Sheet-A102 N/A IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic ${revit_file:revit.filename.noextension}-${filename_parameter_value}
    20221212-A102 N/A AUT-Export_DWG ${today.yyyyMMdd}-${filename_parameter_value}
    IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic
    2022.123456-A102 N/A AUT-Export_DWG ${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.PROJECT_NUMBER}-${filename_parameter_value}
    IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic
    18-003-ABC-XX-D-A-00001 N/A AUT-Export_DWG See below for other file naming tips
    IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic

    File Naming Tips

    The default file naming for many of the scripts that export to DWG is controlled by the variable ${filename_parameter_value}. This value is in turn controlled by either a sheet or view name parameter. The default value for the sheet elements is to use the parameter called “Sheet Number” while the default value for view elements is to use the parameter called “View Name”. You can substitute your own parameter value if so desired though you must ensure that the parameter value is unique within the project to avoid the problem of one view name overwriting another. Refer to Renumber Sheets to ISO 19650 for tips on creating the required sheet naming values for either the Sheet Name or any custom parameter.

    For example, to comply with ISO 19650 standards, many people are managing the required sheet number value within a custom parameter name. In the example shown below, the sheet number is combined on the title block to include two custom parameters called Project Code and Originator, both of which are stored under Project Information.

    Both the AUT-Export_DWG and IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic can be used to deliver unique dwg file names by adjusting the File Name variable to:

    ${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Project Code}-${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Originator}-${view_parameterValue}

    Any parameter found under Project Information can follow this syntax to become part of the file naming. Read in more detail about Basic Scripting with Ideate Automation.

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